Keeping with my family’s long standing tradition, we went to see a movie the day after Thanksgiving. We cleverly call this custom “the day after Thanksgiving movie.” We tend to lean toward more family oriented viewings. Some years we have a plethora of choices. Other years the pickings are slim. This year we opted for Moana 2. Now, if you have not seen the movie yet and it is on your to-do viewing list, you will probably want to stop right here. You can read about my take on the Little Mermaid instead. Don’t complain if I ruin the Little Mermaid for you because it has been over 30 years. I will not accept responsibility for any spoiler alerts on that one.

Moana 2 is a different story and we are entering spoiler alerts territory right now.

So, she dies.

Now, I watched the movie. The whole movie. I didn’t even take any potty breaks or look at my phone. I’m pretty sure I didn’t take a nap either. I was there. I was present. I watched it. And yet, somehow, I missed that quick yet major plot point.

Of course, I didn’t realize it until later. A co-worker related the fact her grown, married daughter cried during Moana 2.

“Why?” I asked.

“Well,” she said a little surprised at my callousness. “Because she dies.”

“What?” I asked matching her surprised reaction but for a different reason. “No she doesn’t.”

In my defense, I am thinking of the end. At the end of the movie (spoiler alert still firmly in place) Moana returns to her family and home and hugs her sister. All happy things, all happy things. No death there.

My co-worker was sure of her facts without having watched the movie. “Yes, she does.”

“She turns into a demigod,” I think about it.

“And how does one do that?” she asked and motioned her throat being cut with her finger.

My forehead displays the great thought I am giving the matter as I review, once again, the ending in my mind. She returns home. She hugs her sister. No death.

For two adults, this conversation about a cartoon carries on far longer than it should have.

I remain firm in my position. She doesn’t budge from hers.

After we finally returned to our tasks, I forgot about the conversation until I saw a trailer for Moana 2 on Facebook later that night.

“Oh yeah,” I say and Google ‘Does Moana die?’

The answer: yes.

“What?” and then I watched her death scene. “Oh yeah,” I remember that scene now. I don’t think I realized she actually died-died though. I thought she was only “mostly dead” or that she just had a “big boo-boo” (nods to Princess Bride and George of the Jungle). I guess I missed the fact that she actually died for a quick moment. Which, when I replayed the scene by itself I can now see that point is a bit hard to miss. But miss it I did the first go around.

To sum up, you could say we were both right that day at work. Technically Moana did die. But technically it also had a happy ending.

Was I the bigger person and admit to my co-worker I was technically wrong? No.

And I’d appreciate it if she didn’t hear it from you either. Shhhh!